


To Have and To Hold

by helenumbrella



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: AU, Angst, Futurefic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-26
Updated: 2016-04-26
Packaged: 2018-06-04 17:37:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6668059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helenumbrella/pseuds/helenumbrella
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Annabeth begs Hades for a chance to reunite with her loved ones. </p>
<p>(Character death is referenced and not written.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	To Have and To Hold

She sits and prays. They are never prayers for peace, and yet they are not prayers. They are begs, pleads to whoever is left, a silent wish hello and goodbye. Annabeth knows that there are gods but still, she prays to God for her parents, her siblings, her boyfriend, her life. She kneels before an empty altar with nothing but false hope thrumming through her veins.

Annabeth dares not to raise her head to the quickening of the battle cry. A sleight move, and she ends her life. When she dares to dart her eyes up, the king of the dead is there checking his fingernails. An almost comical caricature, if Annabeth had not been sure that he would incinerate her for her request. Hades notices her checking, and sighs as he sits down on the pew. He has had enough of this kid, dodging in and out of incidents with his son, getting married to his nephew, creating a child demigod.

A pity he thinks, that the father, the upstart Percy Jackson, as well as her first child, were in Elysium. Her dirty blonde hair is in scattered ringlets, eyes are red from crying, hands twisted around a cross in worry. No wonder she came to the church. Dealing with the reality of her heritage must drive her crazy.

She starts to speak, but Hades interrupts her. “I’m foolish to believe that you call me here to tell me about your coffee, so make your request now or hold your peace forever.” Annabeth swallows, the lump in her throat will burst and claw her into silence, but she stills her heart and tries again.

“I want you to kill me. I need to join my husband and child in Elysium.” There is a short pause, and then a chuckle from the king of the dead.

“Why do you need me to kill you, darling? You can find a murderer anywhere along these streets, you can even pay for someone to assassinate you. You’re stupid for thinking that you could fool me into thinking that all you wanted was death and Elysium. You want something more. You want something impossible.”

The words have their effect on Annabeth, and she bows her head down once again. Instead of responding, she begins to repeat a well-known verse. “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Hades shakes his head and wonders why the girl has believed that she would be the first or the last to try and lead her souls back to the living world.

“No.” Hades says, “I won’t kill you, I cannot interfere like that. I stand to rule the undead, not to convert those still living into my domain. Furthermore, your reunion with your loves will not be soon, the Fates have figured out that there is more in life.” His eyes slip to her swollen belly, bulging with the second child, ready to be born any day. “And who would I be? To separate a young girl from her mother so soon? I will see you when your time is near.”

Annabeth is left standing on the left hand side of the altar, hand outstretched to a memory giving his vows. _‘Til death do us part_ , she remembers, _for better and for worse._

She smiles when Percy’s ghost slips the ring onto her finger, and her hand curls around her second child.  

_To have and to hold._


End file.
